Your audio guide to everything you need to know about compelling and complex topics, from a variety of The Week's smart and witty writers, editors, and thinkers. Concise and entertaining, Seven-Minute Explainers packs a lot of information in a short amount of time.
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Ep. 79: Almost every language has a word for 'Christmas.' Few reference Christ.
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How’s that for a war on Christmas? For more, visit TheWeek.com/PodcastsAv James Harbeck
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Ep. 78: Why so strangely Yoda speaks?
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Hear something odd in his syntax, you do. For more, go the TheWeek.com/podcastsAv James Harbeck
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Ep. 77: A brief timeline of tax reform
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How previous reforms led to the system we have today. For more, visit TheWeek.com/PodcastsAv The Week
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The history and mystery of Asherah. For more, visit TheWeek.com/Podcasts.Av The Week
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Ep. 75: 6 unique Thanksgiving celebrations from around the world
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The Macy's Day Parade, football, and Black Friday deals may be uniquely American, but giving thanks for a good harvest is a tradition that crosses cultures. For more, visit TheWeek.com/PodcastsAv The Week
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Ep. 74: The secret history of cowboy socialism
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The American West may fly the flag of individualism, but it was built on a bedrock of Big Government. For more, visit TheWeek.com/PodcastsAv Ryan Cooper
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Ep. 73: Why Puerto Rico never had a path to statehood
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Even as other territories became states, the U.S. kept Puerto Rico's legal status vague. For more, visit TheWeek.com/PodcastsAv The Week
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Ep. 72: The strange, circuitous history of Daylight Saving Time
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How war, the golf industry, and Big Candy got (most of) us an extra hour of sleep this weekend. For more, visit TheWeek.com/PodcastsAv The Week
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Ep. 71: Why cheap horror flicks are Hollywood gold
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From Night of the Living Dead to Paranormal Activity, low-budget horror movies continue to def Hollywood's box-office expectations. For a starter guide to the best low-budget horror films to stream, visit TheWeek.com/Podcasts.Av Jessie Wright-Mendoza
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Ep. 70: The lessons of the Russian revolution, 100 years later
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Is Marxism just a turn-crank formula for purges and dictatorship or was something else to blame? For more, visit TheWeek.com/PodcastsAv Ryan Cooper
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Ep. 69: The self-aware legacy of 'Friends'
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How the end of Matt LeBlanc's Episodes closes the door on the Friends era of gossip, fame, and meta-spinoffs. For more, visit TheWeek.com/PodcastsAv Lili Loofbourow
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Ep. 68: Why Ronald Reagan enthusiastically signed America's first real gun control law
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A lifelong member of the NRA, Reagan might be the most consequential president for gun control legislation in the past centuryAv Peter Weber
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Ep. 67: Why severe flooding is becoming increasingly common — and more destructive
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Storms like Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, are only going to keep coming. Which parts of the U.S. are most vulnerable? What is the government doing about it? Here's everything you need to know. Read more at TheWeek.com/PodcastsAv The Week
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Ep. 66: The burglars who broke into the FBI and brought down J. Edgar Hoover
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In 1971, a group of activists stole thousands of incriminating documents that proved the bureau was spying on Americans. The burglars got away scot-free. For more, visit TheWeek.com/podcastsAv Jake Rossen
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Ep. 65: Why do we have a debt ceiling anyway?
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How a legislative fluke turned into a political weapon. Learn more at TheWeek.com/podcastsAv Paul Waldman
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Ep. 64: Congressional censure, explained
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When elected officials break the rules, this congressional tool puts them in checkAv Jessie Wright-Mendoza
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Ep.63: How to put your savings on autopilot
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Saving is a habit, and like all habits, the best way to make it stick is to do it over, and over, and over again, until it becomes second nature. Here's four steps to help you save money without even thinking about it.Av Harold Maass
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Ep. 62: Multivitamins are useless. Here's why.
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Those daily pills aren't doing you any favors. In fact, they might be doing you some harm. Find more at TheWeek.com/PodcastsAv Becca Stanek
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Ep. 61: America's eclipse craze, explained
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On Aug. 21, the moon's shadow will roll across the U.S. and, for the first time in decades, tens of millions of Americans will witness a total solar eclipse outside their door. For more, visit TheWeek.com/podcastsAv The Week
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Amazon, Google, and Facebook have enjoyed unstoppable growth, with no end in sight. Such enormous success may be a sign that we're in the second Gilded Age, where our lives are channeled once again through fewer and fewer companies that are controlled by just a handful of men. And this isn't good. For more, visit TheWeek.com/podcasts…
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Ep. 59: The genetic breakthrough that could change humanity, explained
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The gene-editing tool CRISPR isn't some super high-tech piece of lab equipment. It's a part of our DNA that scientists have now figured out how to harness.Av Jessie Wright-Mendoza
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Ep. 58: A linguist's guide to HULK SMASH
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WHERE HULKSPEAK COME FROM? Let's explore all the potential inspiration that came before Hulk smashed into our comic book world in 1962.Av James Harbeck
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Ep. 57: How to avoid being eaten by a shark
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A Hawaiian's tried-and-true advice for avoiding a shark attackAv Leslie Turnbull
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Ep. 56: 'Game of Thrones': 5 fun facts about the Valyrian language
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The Valyrian language has four genders — and an unexpected Monty Python tribute. Listen for more fun and interesting facts about this intricate language that might help you impress at your next Game of Thrones party.Av Arika Okrent
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Ep. 55: Your family name did not come from a mistake at Ellis Island
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So how did Jensen become Johnson, Koenigsberger become Kingsley, and Mlodzianowski become Murphy?Av Arika Okrent
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Ep. 54: Our irrational fear of flying
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You're more likely to die from a lightning strike than in an airplane crash, and yet we just can't seem to shake our aviophobia.Av The Week
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Ep. 53: China's plan to run the world
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The People's Republic is investing trillions to build railways, ports, and telecommunications in other countries. Here's everything you need to know. Find out more at TheWeek.com/podcastsAv The Week
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Ep. 52: How to revolutionize the tax code with only 'find and replace'
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The simplest way to revolutionize the tax code? Just convert deductions to credits.Av Jeff Spross
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Ep. 51: How a preemptive strike on North Korea could end up killing millions
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It seems the Trump administration is ready to take the toughest of lines when it comes to dealing with the Hermit Kingdom. And this policy is nothing short of apocalyptic. For more on this story, visit TheWeek.com/podcasts.Av Harry J. Kazianis
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With scandals swirling around the White House, the "I-word" is already being mentioned in Congress. But what's the origin of the process and how exactly is it used today? Here's everything you need to know.Av The Week
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Ep. 49: How previous White House scandals altered the political landscape
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Watergate. Iran-Contra. Trump-Russia? History can provide scenarios for thinking about how this investigation might play out.Av Scott Lemieux
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Ep. 48: Anatomy of a commencement speech
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We combed through dozens of inspirational, funny, and memorable commencement speeches and found the best ones follow a surprisingly similar pattern comprising eight distinct parts.Av Lindsey Kratochwill
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Ep. 47: A phonological description of beatbox noises
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Whenever people listen to a beatboxing expert, there are two big questions that come up: What are those noises? And how are they being made? Linguistics to the rescue! Even if you still can't reproduce the sounds, you will soon be able to talk about them in terms nearly as startling as the sounds themselves.…
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Ep. 46: How today's pro-immigrant activists are adopting the tactics of abolitionists
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Their plan to stop Trump's immigration crackdown: Resist. Rebuff. Repeat.Av Shikha Dalmia
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Ep. 45: The EPA's changing mission, explained
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After decades of dramatic successes — as well as failures — the Environmental Protection Agency is at a crossroads.Av The Week
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Ep. 44: The obscure 19th century murder case that shaped our reproductive laws
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The origins of our modern battles over abortion date back to 1838 and the untimely death of a 21-year-old factory girl named Eliza SowersAv Jessie Wright-Mendoza
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Ep. 43: How sugar became Public Enemy No. 1
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Many experts believe that sweetened foods have caused a global health crisis. What's so bad about sugar?Av The Week
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Ep. 42: The rise and fall and rise of bitcoin
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In 2014, bitcoin was all but written off as a failed experiment. In March 2017, it made history. And its recent, more gradual success suggests the virtual currency is here to stay. Here's the story behind its resurrection and the factors that might help it survive. For more, visit theweek.com/podcasts.…
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Ep. 41: The growing nuclear threat from North Korea
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Kim Jong Un is building a nuclear missile that can reach the U.S. Can he be stopped?Av The Week
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Ep. 40: Can President Trump rescue the Rust Belt?
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He promised to reverse the decades-long decline of manufacturing jobs. Can it be done?Av The Week
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Ep. 39: America's secret and forgotten wars
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President Trump inherited several undeclared wars around the world. Will he change U.S. policy?Av The Week
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Ep. 38: Why it's difficult to tell a Canadian accent from a Californian one
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Not so easy, eh?Av James Harbeck
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37: The mainstreaming of mindfulness meditation
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Stressed-out Americans, from war veterans to Google workers, are embracing mindfulness meditation. Does it really work?Av The Week
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Ep. 36: Why Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds couldn't stay apart
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HBO's documentary Bright Lights highlights the intimacy between the famous mother and daughterAv Lili Loofbourow
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Once they've relinquished the highest office in the land, many presidents enjoy rewarding second actsAv The Week
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Ep. 34: The great billionaire space race
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A brief history of the space race then and a look at what rich entrepreneurs are to open a new frontier of privately funded space travel.Av The Week
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Ep. 33: The true origin story of the football huddle
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It was first invented by deaf playersAv Arika Okrent
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Ep. 32: Are Google and Facebook the new monopolies?
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Google and Facebook are the new railroads. And the media is a powerless farmer trying to get his vegetables to town.Av Jeff Spross
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Ep. 31: A brief history of Inauguration Day traditions
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The Constitution mandates only the day and the oath of office. The rest is dictated entirely by tradition.Av Jessie Wright-Mendoza
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Ep. 30: How the geeks inherited the Earth
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What the presidential election tells us about the geeks' ascension in politics, business, and culture.Av Peter Weber
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